(a) Every person who sells, dispenses or distributes toluene, or any substance or material containing toluene, to any person who is less than 18 years of age shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined in a sum of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000), nor more than two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), or by imprisonment for not less than six months nor more than one year.
(b) The court shall order the suspension of the business license, for a period of one year, of a person who knowingly violates any of the provisions of this section after having been previously convicted of a violation of this section unless the owner of such business license can demonstrate a good faith attempt to prevent illegal sales or deliveries by employees. The provisions of this subdivision shall become operative on July 1, 1980.
(c) The provisions of this section shall apply to, but are not limited to, the sale or distribution of glue, cement, dope, paint thinners, paint, and any combination of hydrocarbons either alone or in combination with any substance or material including, but not limited to, paint, paint thinners, shellac thinners, and solvents which, when inhaled, ingested or breathed, can cause a person to be under the influence of, or intoxicated from, any such combination of hydrocarbons.
This section shall not prohibit the sale of gasoline or other motor vehicle fuels to persons less than 18 years of age.
(d) This section shall not apply to any glue or cement which has been certified by the State Department of Health Services as containing a substance which makes such glue or cement malodorous or causes such glue or cement to induce sneezing, nor shall this section apply where the glue or cement is sold, delivered, or given away simultaneously with or as part of a kit used for the construction of model airplanes, model boats, model automobiles, model trains, or other similar models or used for the assembly or creation of hobby craft items using such components as beads, tiles, tiffany glass, ceramics, clay, or other craft-related components.
(Amended by Stats. 1980, Ch. 1011, Sec. 1. Effective September 21, 1980.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018